Third show in America, third time with same setlist (last encore was
skipped again) and third time
with sound problems. Same old story -- muffled sound with low vocals.
The latter probably
due to Andrew's cold barring his ability to sing loud enough.

Plus some guy back right and elevated behind the rafters. Although usually
obscured by fog, my guess is he was occasionally playing keyboards/bass
tones on the MIDI machine. Most of the time, though, it appeared that this
analytical-looking chap was balancing the tour books right there on stage.
Couldn't find a quiet place, I suppose.

Actual Set List (with memorable moments):

Ribbons -- "just walk on in". I did. 3 minutes late. I'm a
sorry excuse for a fan
Come Together -- new-ish. "Thank yoooooou..." He seemed unusually
gracious tonight.
Train -- "Fast" Train, more like. The Doktor was on uppers or
something.
Detonation Boulevard.
Logic -- also double-time. Nothinbuttheknifetolivefor1lifeallIneed...
War on Drugs -- new to USA fans.
Giving Ground -- this Sisterhood gem is very nice live.
We Are the Same Suzanne -- new.
Teachers -- turned into
On the Wire -- perhaps a post-WEA compilation is on the way?
Dominion/Mother Russia.
Summer -- new. This will be the hit single in the US, or nothing
will.
Anaconda -- Andrew boldly cracks his voice into a yodel on this number.
Romeo Down -- new, another good one.
Flood II -- I am 3-for-3 hearing this live. I wish Flood I got more recognition.
Last 1/2 of Temple of Love -- Michael synchs the guitar part
along with the omni-present Doktor.
--
Comfortably Numb -- dissolved into
Some Kind of Stranger -- oh I see, Andrew, yes they really are the same
song. Pity Messrs. Waters & Gilmour never gave you due credit for it.
--
Something Fast -- played slow, as it turns out. Andrew actually smiled.
This Corrosion -- got a song for me? How about Kiss the Carpet?
--
Lights -- not the Reptile House EP song, that's a stage term for End Of
Show. It would have been nice to hear Valentine, though.

My biased impressions aside, let's just say that the record will show
that the Riviera nightclub was convincingly packed inside and out. The
Head Sister gained more and more confidence as the show led on towards
the end, belying his publicly stated "fright" on stage. This
is the new (blonde!) Andrew Eldritch and only his dour, concave jawline
gave him away. The crowd was refreshingly more dressed-down than I expected.
Some even came wearing Polos. Those who dressed up did so tastefully and
with some exceptions (old-timers-turned-stockbrokers attempting mascara
and face paint) there was a strong and broad coalition of Sisters of Mercy
followers in enthusiastic attendance. It is a finicky audience, though.

Not having been to a German or UK show of theirs, I can only relay to
you with my own midwestern bias that the American audience loves / cheers
on the classics (Dominion, Flood II, Corrosion) and watches politely during
the rest. This is the sordid state of Rock and Roll in (as a Suede page
scribe put it) The United States of Aerosmith. No doubt the off-core performance
of Comfortably Numb confused US fans and newcomers alike. Some
Bic lighters even flashed during that number.

But Andrew seemed in perfect strength and energy: his open-lipped stare
as enticing as ever, his on-stage wandering and reactions seemed to even
egg on his audience, and his voice was never sharper and more pronounced
as through the Riviera's well-oiled sound machines.

Overall, I'd say it ranks as the best concert since the Public-Enemy
/ Gang of Four 1991 show here in Illinois (and that was the one where the
Doktor broke down during Body and Soul. Andrew had to ad-lib
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around while the Doktor was "in
surgery" on that night). My only disappointment was the lack of a full-time
bassist. But I guess no-one's complained about the lack of drummer for
17 years so I suppose that's a lost cause.

And no, my bribery attempts to get the soundman to assist me with my
cassette were for naught.

> Plus some guy back right and elevated behind the rafters <...> my guess is he
> was occasionally playing keyboards/bass tones on the MIDI machine.

The guy behind the rigging was the "nurse"
to Doktor Avalanche. At times I could plainly see him. He was on the heavier
side I think, and was wearing a blaze orange paramedic's jumpsuit with
a red cross patch on the breast.

Speaking of band members, I met Mike Varjak in Chicago, he came outside
to talk to me. Really a very nice guy :) I was told by Dean (the video
camera guy who's now so famous) that he and Eldy get on real well.

Written by Monte Householter (monte3@idt.net)
for The Sisters of Mercy Tours site

When I first walked into the Riviera, I spotted Von Eldritch's underlings
(Adam, Michael, and Co. - sans Von) talking to each other by the mixing
desk. Nobody recognized them except me (hey, I spend too much time on the
internet). Eventually, Michael and later Adam sauntered over to talk to
(hit on?) a girl who was sitting by her lonesome.

The show was to start at 7 pm, but I knew that wasn't gonna happen as
it was approaching 8 pm and Adam & Co. were still socializing in the
crowd. Nobody in there right mind would expect Eldritch to start a show
a 7pm anyway, with full moons and caskets yet to unearth. I was a bit disappointed
there was no opening band which seems to be a trend (Bowie, Verve) lately.

Around 8pm, smoke started oozing out and Tangerine Dream's "Fly"
started to reel. A muffled FALAA began the proceeding as Eldritch entered
the maelstrom in bright garb. The Prince returns with a stern smirk on
his face.

Let me just say that the sound was beyond awful. It was like taking
3 plastic bags and putting them around your head and hoping for the haze
to lift. The guitars were very weak in the mix as I've heard toy guitars
make better sounds. If you were trying to follow the vocals, all you heard
was a low drone occasionally lifted by Von's shouting.

Very slow start, as the crowd (not many goths!) didn't wake until Dominion.
Too many new and obscure songs played (anybody for a release of On
the Wire, Train, and Giving Ground on CD?).
Of the new songs, only Summer and Suzanne seemed
to rise above complacency which the other new songs succumbed to.

Suggestion to Andrew: Please drop Temple of Love from the
setlist. The phrase, 'If you can't do it properly, don't do it at all'
comes to mind. No ascending guitar riff + no hard-driving bass & drums
= grand, majestic thud!

Just when you were ready to write-off Von Eldritch as a no-show, he
comes out and does a spine-tingling rendition of Comfortably Numb
that segued into a harrowing version of Some Kind of Stranger.
Brilliant to say the least.

For the 2nd encore, it was time for "Sing-a-long with Andy Taylor"
in the anthem of This Corrosion. By this time, the crowd was
really mad for it (or was it the alcohol consumption?) with everyone screaming
and Von doing ridiculous things with a mic stand. Next thing you know,
the fog lifts and Von has left the building.

Gurm. I'll bet Andrew was pleased when he saw the crowd at the Riviera;
less than half goth. The rest were Midwestern Scruff.

How many of you noticed that Michael was circulating through the crowd
and the line outside the Riviera? He was answering questions, giving autographs,
and just plain talking to people for the hell of it. He came up to the
girl next to me and started talking to her. I wasn't feeling inclined to
meet him, having photographed him in
Philly, so I just
watched and listened.
She had no idea who he was when he came up and started talking to her,
and she said, "You can't stand here. I'm saving this spot." He replied,
"I'm Michael. I'm with the band." She still had no idea who he
was. I was rolling laughing.

Some moron thought of starting some stupid semblance of a mosh
pit during Giving Ground.
During This Corrosion (or thereabouts -- memory slips on me now) didn't
he say "Rise and Reverberate" to get the crowd encouraged to sing or at
least act alive? And how about that bit during Ribbons? "be afraid
now be afraid now." To me that changed the whole meaning of the song.
Ribbons is one of my favorite, if not THE favorite, live pieces.

Lame venue. WHY did they pick one that has a ten pm curfew? (Yes, the
Riviera strongly enforces a curfew. That might be one reason there was
no opening act.)

The crowd was dead. Looked shabby, acted dead. That's
all I have to say about it.

Overall, everything but the performers was a huge disappointment. Go
figure.

For those of you who have mailed me and were interested (or faked a
good job of being interested) in my condition (very pregnant when I went
to see the Sisters in Chicago and the excitement caused me to be bedridden
for two weeks), my daughter Raven Serena was born February 14 at 6:42 pm.
So I suppose that in some vague and indirect and spiritually intangible
manner that Andrew and company were responsible for getting labor started.
Hee.

So please pass the info on to Mr. Eldritch that's he's an honorary godfather.
:)

Overall, it was a fair show. I was not too impressed but it fell right
in with my expectations. The set list was an exact copy of
Toronto's (literally,
it even had the Toronto date on it). Concert
progressed much like it sounds
the others have. Sound was fair, vocals lost in the mix. Where I was at
you could only make out what Andrew was singing because you knew the words
well enough.

Personally, it would have been nice to hear some of the older material
played closer to its original sound. Updating everything to the new dancier
beat kinda made the whole show sound the same (the more recent stuff sounded
okay since it's already been dancified.) Probably the best
sounding song was Comfortably Numb, both in performance and in sound mix,
and some of the "recent" big hits (This Corrosion, Flood II,
Dominion/Mother Russia). I have to admit, not having heard anything about
the tour prior to the show, I was surprised to hear Giving Ground (and
a nice version too).

I'll have to think long and hard before going to see them again. I didn't
get much more out of the live performance than I'd get at home listening
to their stuff in a mass of smoke.

...after having been up for 24+ hours, and ready for bed, I will report
as I remember, even if in fragments.

Company and I start out on the road from Minneapolis to Chicago for
a six hour drive, and finally arrive at around 4pm. As we near the Riviera,
we see some gothy-goths, and know we're in the right place. We go and eat,
and hang out until about 6pm, then line up. After a bit, the line starts
moving, and we eventually get in.

The venue looks great -- worn down, slightly
"turn of the (20th) century" feel. Very personal. No opening
act apparently, so after standing for two hours, the dry ice machines really
begin to kick it into high-gear around 8pm. Soon, the Tangerine Dream music
starts, and shortly after, the assault that is "First and Last and
Always" begins. I recognize it right away, and it's great.

Andrew
looks exquisite, and the song comes off beautifully. I remember Ribbons,
Romeo Down (damn fine), Temple of Love, Comfortably Numb/Some Kind of Stranger,
Summer, (We Are the Same) Suzanne, Dominion/Mother Russia, Vision Thing,
Logic, Temple of Love, Flood II and This Corrosion. The encores were three
in number, and contained some of the above.

Although not my favorite Sisters
songs, Flood II and This Corrosion were the best in quality, from my vantage
point. The crowd loved it, the band was gracious, and the guitarists are
a keeper, especially Pearson.

The set list was the same as before, no
opening act. At about 8, they start the Tangerine Dream song. After that,
Dok kicked in and starting a little bit of Afterhours. They come on out
and start to play, Andy in his Chinese jacket. For most of the show, Andy
was in a "Hawaiian" over shirt with lots of flowers and stuff.
Under that he had a stripped colored shirt. For the encores, he had on
a white turtleneck shirt. Leather pants and his big belt that I think he
wore around VT times.

The lights were good, lots of smoke sometimes totally concealing the
band. Andy said something about a foreign policy before War on Drugs. Romeo
Down was great - love the bass line. I think they need a real bassist. Will
I Dream is pretty guitar heavy and sounds like a VT outtake. For some
reason, I think it might be released as a single -- has a catchy chorus.
Giving Ground was the best I heard so far (but only heard it live two times
except for bootlegs). The sound was good in the front from where I was.
No one seemed to be moving at all except for myself.

I know that it was filmed by at least two people, someone with a tripod
way in the back and the guy up in front -- he got lots of footage of the
crowd and stuff like that. I also know the show was bootlegged, but I don't
know with what equipment.

Well, well... After traveling to the Riviera performance from nearby
Phoenix, AZ, I have returned home with very few complaints concerning The
Sisters' offering to Chicago.

After the lights remained on nearly an hour
after the scheduled showtime, the theatre went dark to the music of the
now familiar Fly and Collision of Comas Sola instrumental,
which then was overpowered by the droning Afterhours. Hearing
this alone sent the energy up throughout the building. Afterhours was then
silenced by the arrival of Eldritch and Co., saying hello with First
and Last and Always.

The setlist was nearly identical to the
Philadelphia
show last year, with a few new songs seemingly weeding out (to my dismay)
such songs as Body Electric, and Alice. Not hearing
either of these two was tragic in some senses, but I suppose I shouldn't
be in any place to complain, eh?

As far as Uncle's behavior, I was shocked.
Andrew appeared to be in a somewhat GOOD mood, and even seemed to be enjoying
himself a bit. Judging from the appearance of the crowd, I would have thought
he would have a field day, but shit-talk was (somewhat unfortunately)
held to a minimum.

Here's hoping that they can go directly from the tour
into the studio, and get the new material out immediately. Not to sound
at all anxious Andrew, but...

Oh yes, if anyone managed to get a audio or video copy of the show,
please contact me

Written by Anna and Tory Mulch (vonmulch@csj.net)
for The Sisters of Mercy Tours site

As most concerts I have been to in the last three years, I knew better than
to expect a live crowd. Being front row center stage was very eclectic
to see and witness. Even though this concert was in a crappy venue, Andrew
really seemed to pull it off.

And for those of you who didn't get Comfortably
Numb, go watch The Wall. Listen to Floodland. Repeat for about a week and
philosophize your ideas, and if you still have a brain left, then you can
figure out the connection.

This was the best concert of my life. And Andrew
shouldn't have to live up to our expectations. We have no basis on what
he does, we are merely admirers of his art and we take from it what we
will, not necessarily what it means. If you didn't like this show, you
don't know what you're missing.